Bovina joins growing list of Russian achievers

Anna Kournikova's tennis career maybe spinning out of control but there are plenty of Russians lining up to take her place.

Anastasia Myskina, Elena Dementieva, Lina Krasnoroutskaya, Tatiana Panova and Alina Jidkova have all had impressive results. Now Elena Bovina has added her name to that list.

The striking 19-year old rivals Lindsay Davenport in height and imposed her intimidating frame upon Jelena Dokic in the second round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday, beating the world number four 6-3 6-2.

That result follows quickly on the heels of her performance against Amelie Mauresmo in New Haven last week, where she served for the match before losing out to the Frenchwoman in the third set tiebreak.

"I got a little bit nervous then," Bovina admitted.

"It was something new to me, to play a top 10 player. But it definitely helped me today. I was feeling comfortable and knew what to do on that last game."

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

With more and more players emerging from Russia, Bovina said the new opportunities available to people in her country has made it much easier to choose tennis as a career.

"I think we had a lot of great players before, but they couldn't get out of Russia," she said.

"It was difficult times back then, but right now you can do whatever you want. A lot of girls go to practise in Spain or the States. They have a bunch of opportunities."

Bovina was one of those who jumped at the chance to learn her trade overseas, spending two years at Nick Bollettieri's academy in Florida before returning to Moscow.

"It was a great experience," she said. "He's a really great coach, a great technician. He can see technical mistakes unbelievably well. He's definitely one of the greatest coaches I ever met, but then it was time to move on and to play tournaments."

She has also received tips from the likes of John McEnroe, and the man who revitalised Andre Agassi's career, Brad Gilbert.

"I really admire John," Bovina said. "When I met him I was so happy and excited, and we even hit at Roland Garros and Wimbledon a few times.

"He's really clever, really smart. He's been the best player in the world and I got a lot of experience just by talking to him."

Bovina's rise up the rankings -- her success in New Haven catapulted her from 77 to 61 -- also coincides with the fact that she has finally stopped growing.

"When you grow so fast it's difficult to adjust because you don't feel your body that well," said the towering Russian, whose height is listed as 1.89 metres in the WTA's handbook.

"It's tough. I remember I couldn't co-ordinate my movements. It was just very difficult. But right now I feel very comfortable with my body. I still have a bunch of things to improve on, to work on, but I feel better. I feel good."